Vacuum processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a highly reliable plasma processing apparatus having stable sealing performance. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a vacuum vessel having its inside decompressed; an opening disposed in a wall of the vacuum vessel for communicating the inside with the outside thereof and through which a sample to be processed is taken in and out; a valve body  701  disposed outside the wall for airtightly sealing or opening the opening; and a drive unit for driving the valve body to carry out the sealing or opening operation, the drive unit comprising a first member  705  coupled to an actuator  702  that moves along a substantially linear first direction as a result of operation of the actuator, a second member  706  coupled to the first member  705  that moves along a substantially linear second direction that intersects with the first direction, and the valve body  701  coupled to the second member that seals the opening as a result of the movement of the second member.

This application is a Continuation application of application Ser. No.11/068,990, filed Mar. 2, 2005, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

The present application is based on and claims priority of Japanesepatent application No. 2004-263968 filed on Sep. 10, 2004, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and alsorelates to a vacuum processing apparatus equipped with a gate valve forairtightly sealing or opening a gate for communicating the inside andthe outside of a vacuum vessel in which a sample is processed.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the field of apparatuses for processing an object in a decompressedchamber, such as the one mentioned above, there is a demand forimproving the efficiency for processing the substrate being the objectof processing, in addition to enhancing the minuteness and precisenessof the process. Therefore, in recent years, a multi-chamber apparatushas been developed in which a plurality of processing chambers areconnected and combined as a single apparatus, enabling various processesto be performed to the substrate in a single apparatus, and improvingthe process efficiency.

In such an apparatus having plural processing chambers, each of theprocessing chambers are connected to a transfer chamber capable ofhaving its inner gas or pressure controlled, which is equipped with arobot arm or the like for transferring the substrate inside thereof.

According to such structure, the pre-processed or post-processedsubstrate is transferred through the transfer chamber having itsinterior evacuated or supplied with inert gas from one processingchamber to another processing chamber, so that the substrate issubjected to continuous processing without being in contact withatmosphere outside. Thus, the contamination of the substrate issuppressed and the yield or efficiency of the process is improved.

Further, the time for increasing/decreasing the pressure in theprocessing chambers or the transfer chamber can be omitted or reduced,by which the processing steps are shortened and the work and timerequired for the overall substrate processing are reduced, and theprocessing efficiency is thereby improved.

According further to such apparatus, each processing chamber isdetachably attached to the apparatus, so that by replacing theprocessing chambers or by changing the combination thereof, theapparatus can correspond to perform a new process without having toreplace the whole apparatus. As a result, the costs for manufacturingproducts by processing the substrates in the apparatus can be cut down.

A known valve device called a gate valve for airtightly closing andopening an opening (gate) disposed with the chamber through which thesample is taken in and out of the processing chamber or the transferchamber includes a valve body attached to an end of a beam-shaped membersuch as a shaft that is connected to a drive device such as an actuator.In such a gate valve, when the gate is to be closed, the actuator drivesthe valve body toward the opening while maintaining a predetermineddistance with the surface of the chamber wall on which the gate isdisposed, and when the valve body reaches a position substantiallyconfronting the gate opening, the valve body is moved toward the openinguntil one surface of the valve body connects to the chamber wall or thegate opening.

In the above-mentioned arrangement, a seal member is disposed on onesurface of the valve body for airtightly sealing the area between thevalve body and the chamber wall or the gate opening. In the seal member,a dent or groove is disposed that extends to cover the whole length ofthe connection surface (seal surface) of the valve body which is to besealed, and the seal member having elasticity is fit into this groove sothat the seal member is positioned correctly and is prevented from beingdisplaced on the valve body. The seal member disposed on the surface ofthe valve body is pressed against the wall or the opening to seal thespace therebetween, and the seal member is also pressed against thesurface of the dent or the groove to seal the space therebetween.

When opening the gate, the actuator moves the valve body being connectedto the wall or the opening away from the gate. After separating thevalve body from the chamber wall or opening, the valve body is movedaway from the opening while maintaining a predetermined distance fromthe chamber wall, similar to when closing the gate.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication Nos. 2002-276825 andH08-060374 disclose prior art gate valves of the type described above.Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No.2002-81555 discloses a prior art sealing means.

The prior art apparatuses had the following drawbacks. According to theprior art gate valve, when moving the valve body of the gate valve awayfrom the gate opening, since the valve body is connected to the openingwith high pressing force, the seal portion of the valve body may not beremoved in uniform fashion, or large force must be applied when removingthe seal, by which the valve body is vibrated by the shock of removalfrom the gate. This causes deposits such as reaction products attachedto the process chamber wall or the surface of the valve duringprocessing to fall by the vibration onto the sample and causingcontamination or corrosion of the sample, or causes contamination of themembers inside the processing chamber.

Thus, it is necessary to reduce vibration during movement of the valvebody, but the prior art disclosures lack to provide sufficient measures.

According further to the gate valve of the prior art, the valve body ismoved toward the opening until the valve body contacts the opening orthe wall surface surrounding the opening, or the valve body is movedaway therefrom, but if the valve body is designed to move along a guidesuch as a rail disposed in the direction of movement thereof, the gapdisposed between the guide and the member being guided or the frictiontherebetween causes the valve body to vibrate.

Furthermore, as described above, a seal member having elasticity isdisposed on the surface of the valve body of the gate valve coming intocontact with the chamber wall or the opening, which covers the wholelength surrounding the area to be sealed. However, according to theprior art, the seal member was positioned by fitting the seal member inthe groove or dent disposed in the valve body, and the fitting of theseal member required time and work, so the time required for maintenanceand testing operations was increased, and the overall operationefficiency of the apparatus was deteriorated.

Even further, the seal member is normally ring-shaped with a roundcross-section, but while fitting the seal member into the groove ordent, the seal member may be twisted and rotated, and if the seal isconnected in that state to the wall surface or opening, the deformationby the twist may prevent sufficient seal from being created, or causethe seal performance to be varied in various areas of the connectingsurface, deteriorating the sealing performance. Especially, when dividedmolds are used to mold the seal member, a fin may be disposed in theseam portion by the seal member material running out of the mold, andwhen this fin is brought into contact with the chamber wall or openingby the twisting of the seal member, it may prevent the seal member frombeing pressed onto the wall or opening with uniform pressure, and maycause partial deterioration of the sealing performance.

Moreover, since the prior art valve body was designed to close and sealthe opening of the gate disposed in a flat wall, the seal surface of thevalve body was formed flat. However, the processing chamber disposedinside a vacuum vessel has a substantially cylindrical form, so if thevalve body of the gate valve for sealing the gate leading to theprocessing chamber is shaped like a plate or the portion facing the gateis flat, the inner wall surface of the processing chamber becomesuneven, and the process performed within the processing chamber isaffected thereby and becomes uneven. On the other hand, if the valvebody is shaped to correspond to the inner wall surface shape of theprocessing chamber, the projection to be inserted into the opening mustbe disposed at the center of the valve body and the valve body must bemoved within the opening for a distance corresponding to the height ofthe projection. Especially when the projection is disposed to correspondto a cylindrical wall, the valve body must be moved for a long distance,requiring an additional mechanism for moving the valve body for a longdistance, which causes the apparatus to become larger, or causes thevalve body to vibrate due to the interaction with the guide. Further, ifa groove or dent according to the prior art must be disposed in the sealsurface, the groove or dent must be disposed in the curved surface,which requires much work and time, increasing the manufacturing costsand deteriorating the efficiency. Furthermore, fitting the seal memberinto the groove or dent disposed in the curved surface may require longwork time, which may also cause the local deterioration of the sealingperformance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliableplasma processing apparatus with a stable sealing performance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plasmaprocessing apparatus capable of facilitating related work and reducingthe manufacturing costs thereof.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by a vacuum processingapparatus comprising a vacuum vessel having its inside decompressed; anopening disposed in a wall of the vacuum vessel for communicating theinside with the outside thereof and through which a sample to beprocessed is taken in and out; a valve body disposed outside the wallfor airtightly sealing or opening the opening; and a drive unit fordriving the valve body to carry out the sealing or opening operation,the drive unit comprising a first member coupled to an actuator thatmoves along a substantially linear first direction as a result ofoperation of the actuator, a second member coupled to the first memberthat moves along a substantially linear second direction that intersectswith the first direction, and the valve body coupled to the secondmember that seals the opening as a result of the movement of the secondmember.

Moreover, the objects of the present invention are achieved by furtherproviding a rail coupled to either one of the first member or the secondmember and moves together therewith, and a slide member coupled to theother member that moves together therewith and also along the rail.

Even further, the objects of the present invention are achieved by thesecond member moving along the second direction that is relativelyobtuse to the direction in which the first member moves along the firstdirection.

Furthermore, the objects of the present invention are achieved byproviding a guide member disposed on a side of the second member onwhich the first member moves for restraining the movement of the secondmember along the first direction and relatively moving the second memberalong the second direction.

The objects of the present invention are also achieved by a vacuumprocessing apparatus comprising: a vacuum vessel having its insidedecompressed; an opening disposed in a wall of the vacuum vessel forcommunicating the inside with the outside thereof and through which asample to be processed is taken in and out; a valve body disposedoutside the wall for airtightly sealing or opening the opening; and adrive unit for driving the valve body to carry out the sealing oropening operation, the drive unit comprising a pair of second membersdisposed respectively on one end side and another end side of the valvebody; support members coupled to each of the second members that areconnected to and supporting the valve body; and a biasing device havingelasticity disposed between the pair of second members and a pair offirst members that are respectively coupled to the pair of secondmembers, for mutually biasing and connecting the first and secondmembers.

Moreover, the objects of the present invention are achieved by the valvebody being connected to support pillars at one end side and another endside of the valve body respectively, and the support pillars beingconnected to the support members coupled to the pair of second members.

Further, the objects of the present invention are achieved by thebiasing device damping the relative movement of the first member and thesecond member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1( a) is a front perspective view showing the whole structure ofthe vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 1( b) is a rear perspective view showing the whole structure of thevacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1( a);

FIG. 2( a) is an upper view showing the outline of the structure of thevacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2( b) is a side view showing the outline of the structure of thevacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the outline of the structure ofeach unit;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the positional relationship between thecontrol unit and each processing unit according to the embodiment shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the outline of thestructure of a processing chamber portion which is one of the processingunits shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the structure of theprocessing chamber portion of the processing units shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the whole structure ofthe gate valve shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a frame format showing in enlarged view the relevant portionof one side of the drive means shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a frame format explaining the movement of the drive deviceshown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the outline of the whole structureof the valve body shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a front view and a cross-sectional view showing the outlineof the structure of the seal member shown in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the state inwhich the valve body is in contact with and sealing the opening of theinner chamber.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with referenceto FIGS. 1 through 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the wholestructure of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1( a) is a perspective viewtaken from the upper front oblique direction, and FIG. 1( b) is aperspective view taken from the upper rear oblique direction.

In the present drawing, a vacuum processing apparatus 100 according tothe embodiment is divided largely into two blocks, a front block and arear block. The front block of the apparatus body 100 is an atmosphericblock 101, in which a wafer supplied into the apparatus is transferredto a chamber that is decompressed under atmospheric pressure, and thensupplied into a processing chamber. The rear block of the apparatus body100 is a processing block 102. The processing block 102 is equipped withprocessing units 103, 103′, 104 and 104′ each having a processingchamber that can be decompressed in order to process wafers, a carriageunit 105 for transferring wafers under decompressed condition into thesechambers, and a plurality of lock chambers connecting the carriage unit105 and the atmospheric block 101, wherein these units are capable ofbeing decompressed and maintained at a high degree of vacuum, andwherein the processing block is a vacuumed block.

The atmospheric block 101 has a casing 108 containing a carrier robot(not shown), and the casing 108 has attached thereto wafer cassettes 109for storing processing and/or cleaning wafers and a dummy cassette 110for storing dummy wafers. Further, the carrier robot functions totransfer in/out wafers between these cassettes 109 and 110 and a lockchamber unit 106. The atmospheric block 101 has a positioning unit 111disposed on the casing 108, and in the positioning unit 111, the waferto be transferred is positioned to correspond to the desired waferorientation in the cassettes 109, 110 or in the lock chamber unit 106.

Out of the processing units 103, 103′, 104 and 104′ in the processingblock 102 according to the present embodiment, processing units 103 and103′ are etching units equipped with an etching chamber for etching thewafers transferred from the cassette 109 into the processing block 102,and processing units 104 and 104′ are ashing units for ashing thewafers, wherein the carriage unit 105 is equipped with a transferchamber 112 that is maintained at a high degree of vacuum and to whichthe processing units are attached in detachable manner.

Further, the processing block 102 has control units 107 and 107′including a mass flow controller for controlling the supply of fluidssuch as gas and liquid to the units and the processing chambers, whichare disposed between and adjacent to processing units 103, 103′, 104 and104′. Frames 106 storing rectangular beds for housing storage units andevacuation units for gases and refrigerants required in theabove-mentioned processing units and utilities such as power suppliesfor supplying power thereto are disposed under the processing block 102.The processing chamber portions of the processing units 103 and 104, thecontrol unit 107 and the beds are detachably attached and arranged tothe frame 106.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the schematic structure of the vacuumprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,wherein FIG. 2( a) is a view taken from above, and FIG. 2( b) is a viewtaken from the side. In the present embodiment, the atmospheric block101 arranged in the front side of the apparatus body 100 is for handling(transferring, storing, positioning etc.) the wafer in atmosphericpressure, and the processing block 102 at the rear side is fortransferring and processing the wafer in a pressure decompressed fromatmospheric pressure and for reducing/increasing the pressure with thewafer placed therein.

As mentioned earlier, lock chambers 113 and 113′ are disposed betweenthe transfer chamber 112 constituting the carriage unit 105 and theatmospheric block 101 for connecting and enabling wafers to betransferred between the chamber 112 and block 101. A wafer is carriedinto the decompressed lock chamber 113 or 113′ by a robot arm (notshown) disposed within the transfer chamber 112, and then the pressureof the lock chamber is raised to atmospheric pressure, before the waferis transferred on another robot arm (not shown) disposed within theatmospheric block 101 to be taken out into the atmospheric block 101.The wafer being taken out is either returned to its original position inthe cassette 109 or returned to another cassette. Further, a wafer takenout from any of the cassettes 109 is placed in a lock chamber 113 or113′ set to atmospheric pressure, then the lock chamber is decompressed,before the wafer is placed on the robot arm disposed within the transferchamber 112 also being decompressed and transferred through the transferchamber 112 into any of the processing units 103, 103′ 104 or 104′.

In order to carry out the above operation, the lock chambers 113 and113′ are connected to a gas evacuation unit and a gas supply unit forincreasing, decreasing and maintaining the interior pressure of the lockchamber while having the transferred wafer placed therein, connectedbetween the atmospheric block 101 and the transfer chamber of thecarriage unit. Therefore, the lock chamber 113 is equipped with gatevalves (not shown) disposed in the front and rear of the chamber thatcan be opened/closed to airtightly seal the interior of the lockchamber. A stage for mounting the wafer is disposed inside the lockchamber, which is equipped with a means for holding the wafer so as toprevent the wafer from moving during increase and decrease of innerpressure. In other words, the lock chambers 113 and 113′ are equippedwith means for sealing the chamber with the wafer placed therein,capable of enduring the created inner and outer pressure difference.

As described above, the carriage unit 105 is composed of the transferchamber 112 having its interior decompressed and equipped with a robotarm (not shown) for transferring the wafer between the processingchambers 103, 104 and lock chambers 113, and the plurality of lockchambers 113 and 113′. In the present embodiment, a single samplecarriage device 506 is disposed inside the transfer chamber 112 fortransferring samples between the four processing units arranged aroundthe transfer chamber 112 and the atmospheric block 101.

According further to the present embodiment, the processing units 103,103′, 104 and 104′ are composed of two etching units and two ashingunits, the units being connected to each face of a transfer chamber 112of the carriage unit 105, which has a nearly polygonal shape in planar,wherein the two etching units 103 and 103′ are connected to the twosides on the deeper end of the transfer chamber 112 and the two ashingunits 104 and 104′ are connected to the side faces adjacent to theetching units 103 and 103′, respectively. The lock chambers 113 and 113′are connected to the remaining sides of the transfer chamber 112. Thus,the present embodiment has two etching chambers and two asking chambersdisposed around the transfer chamber 112.

According to the present embodiment, the processing units 103, 103′, 104and 104′ connected to the carriage unit 105 are detachably attached tothe carriage unit 105, and in the carriage unit 105, the lock chambers113 and 113′ and the transfer chamber 112 are detachably connected.

In the present embodiment, the processing block 102 including theprocessing units 103, 103′, 104 and 104′ and the carriage unit 105 isdivided largely into upper and lower parts, which are, a chamber portionhaving its interior decompressed for handling the sample such as asemiconductor wafer being the object of processing, and a frame 106disposed below the chamber portion for supporting the same, containingequipments required for the chamber. Further, the processing unit isdivided into a chamber portion containing the processing chambers and abed portion housing the utilities corresponding to these processingchambers.

In the present embodiment, the frame 106 is composed of a center frame204 disposed below the transfer chamber 112 and four bed frames 205 thatsurround the center frame. The center frame 204 is a support tabledisposed below the carriage unit 105 or the transfer chamber 112 forsupporting the same and the processing units and equipment connectedthereto, which is structured in a substantially rectangular form withbeams that provide necessary strength. There is a space provided in theinside of the center frame 204 for storing the necessary pipes and wiresfor the above-mentioned utilities and various processing units.

Further, the center frame 204 is disposed near the center of thetransfer chamber 112, and especially in the present embodiment, ispositioned within the projection of the transfer chamber 112 to thefloor, with the bed frames 205 for the processing units disposed aroundthe center frame 204. In other words, four substantially rectangular bedframes 205 are disposed either on the four sides of the substantiallyrectangular center frame 204 or facing these sides at positions spacedsomewhat therefrom. At this time, the bed frames 205 are disposed to beunderneath the transfer chamber 112 and placed to overlap with theprojection of the transfer chamber 112 on the floor, so as to furtherreduce the footprint of the processing block 102.

In the present embodiment, the bed portion is composed of a bed frameand a bed housed within the bed frame. The bed portion is substantiallyrectangular, and houses utilities, a controller, a heat exchanger etc.required in the upper chamber portion. The bed frame has enough strengthto support the chamber portion disposed thereabove, having asubstantially rectangular shape formed of beams, and having the beddisposed therein and a plate covering the same disposed on the outside.

Utilities can include, for example, an exhaust pump for decompressingthe processing chamber, a temperature controller, power supplies forsupplying power to various sensors etc., a signal interface forreceiving signals input to and output from the various processing unitsand for controlling the same, gas storage unit for supplying gas to asample stage for mounting and fixing a wafer (sample) in the processingchamber, a refrigerant storage unit for storing the refrigerant used forcooling the sample stage, and a heat exchanger of a refrigeration cyclefor heat-exchanging and recycling the refrigerant.

The bed stores these utilities, and is connected to and housed in thesubstantially rectangular bed frame. Moreover, the bed frame 205constituting this frame 106 stores interface units required to drivethese various utilities housed in the bed. The processing chamberportion is connected to plural sides of the transfer chamber 112 viapredetermined connecting gates. The bed portion corresponding to thisprocessing chamber portion is stored in the frame underneath thetransfer chamber 112 and connected to the equipment body 100.

In the present embodiment, a combination of each processing chamberportion and the bed portion corresponding thereto constitutes a singleprocessing unit. This single processing unit is connected as onecomponent to the equipment main body 100 or the carriage unit 105(transfer chamber 112) in detachable manner. Further, in a singleprocessing unit, it is possible to have the corresponding bed portionunderneath attached thereto/detached therefrom while the processingportion is connected to the carriage unit 105, or oppositely, have thecorresponding processing chamber portion thereabove attachedthereto/detached therefrom while the bed portion is connected to theframe 106.

At the rear side of the atmospheric block 101 between the processingblock 102 are lock chambers 113, but a gap is disposed between the rearside and the frame 106 or the beds. The rear side of the atmosphericblock 101 provides a supply passage for gas, refrigerant, power and thelike to be fed to the processing block. The present vacuum processingapparatus 100 is typically located in a clean room or the like havingpurified air, and if plural apparatus are installed, the various gases,refrigerant and power supplies to be fed to the apparatus 100 aretypically located in a different location, such as collectively on afloor different from the floor on which the present apparatus isinstalled, and supplied to the apparatus main body via gas andrefrigerant pipes or power lines. In the present embodiment, aconnection interface 201 for the supply lines such as the gas andrefrigerant pipes and power lines from a different location is disposedon the rear wall portion of the atmospheric block.

The connection interface 201 is further connected to supply paths ofvarious utilities to be supplied to the processing block 102. Thesupplied pipes and power lines from the connection interface 201 aregathered in a supply block 203, that is passed below the lock chamber113 and the center portion of the transfer chamber 112, and connected toeach bed via interface portions provided to each bed frame 205constituting the frame 106. Apart of the gas etc. required forprocessing is supplied through a supply passage 204 disposed betweenprocessing units 103 and 104 and on the control unit 107 to be connectedto the control unit 107.

According to the prior art, the pipelines and power lines were designedto be introduced independently into the plural processing chambers fromthe supply sources on the separate floor, so when the processing chamberhad to be subjected to maintenance, adjustment or replacement, the workrelated to detaching and reattaching the lines were complicated,deteriorating the work efficiency. Further, the display means (meters)for displaying the status of flow of these pipelines and power lineswere disposed on each of the plural processing chambers, so it wasdifficult for the operator to determine the operation status of theapparatus. Moreover, since the pipelines were disposed around theprocessing chambers, the footprint of the whole apparatus becamesubstantially large, by which the number of apparatuses that can bedisposed on a single floor was reduced, and the workspace was reduced,deteriorating the work efficiency. According to the present embodiment,the above-described arrangement ensures sufficient work space, enableseasy status confirmation, and reduces footprint.

That is, a display unit 202 having a detecting means for detecting thestatus of each supply line connected via the connection interface 201and supplied to the processing block 102 equipped with a display meansfor displaying the result of output of the detecting means is disposedon the rear wall of the casing 108 so as to enable the operator to checkthe operation status of the apparatus easily. It is also possible todispose an adjustment means for adjusting the supply through thesesupply lines or for entering orders for adjustment.

Furthermore, a gap is provided between the rear wall of the casing 108and the frame 106 of the processing block 102, which provides space forthe operator to enter and work on the processing unit 104, the transferchamber 112 and the lock chamber 113, and also to confirm the displayportion 202 on the rear wall of the casing 108 or the connectioninterface 201, or to adjust and perform maintenance of the same.Moreover, means for displaying information related to the operations ofthe devices receiving supply from the supply lines and for controllingthe same are collectively disposed. Therefore, the work related to theoperation of the apparatus is facilitated, and the operation efficiencyof the apparatus is improved.

According further to the present embodiment, the supply lines ofnecessary utilities for each unit constituting the processing block 102are collectively located. By collectively disposing on the rear wall ofthe casing 108 of the atmospheric block 101 the supply paths such as thepipelines and power lines from a separate location such as the floorbeneath the installation floor of the apparatus 100, the work related toinstalling the apparatus body 100 on the floor and the work related toattaching, connecting and detaching the supply paths during maintenanceand replacement of the apparatus is facilitated, by which the workefficiency is improved.

According to the present embodiment, the supply lines such as thepipelines and power lines from the connection interface 201 arecollectively disposed and passed beneath the lock chamber 113 and thecenter of the transfer chamber 112, and in the present embodiment, isdisposed in the interior space of a center frame 204 positioned underthe transfer chamber 112, being connected to each bed via an interfaceportion disposed on a bed frame 205 constituting the frame 106. However,the pipelines and power lines from the connection interface 201 can beconnected directly to the device housed in the bed of the frame 106.

In other words, each unit is positioned to surround the transfer chamber112, and the space for the supply lines 203 is positioned in the innerside or near the center of the apparatus. This space is positioned underthe transfer chamber 112 and the lock chamber 113, and between the bedsof each processing unit. Thus, the space for work related to attaching,connecting and detaching the supply lines 203 is ensured, facilitatingwork and improving work efficiency, and as a result, improving theoperation efficiency of the apparatus. Further, since the connectingportion of the utilities is disposed in the inner side of the apparatus,that is, under the transfer chamber 113, and facing the space providedbetween the beds, the above-mentioned space for work is minimized, andin comparison to the case where the pipes, lines and connecting portionsare disposed around the apparatus, the footprint of the apparatus isreduced, and the number of apparatuses that can be installed on the samearea is increased.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the outline of the structures ofthe various units according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1.FIG. 3( a) shows the assembled state of the processing units. FIGS. 3(b), 3(c) and 3(d) show each processing unit independently. FIG. 3( b)shows an etching unit 103, FIG. 3( c) is an asking unit 104, and FIG. 3(d) is a control unit containing a mass flow controller (MFC).

As illustrated, the processing units 103 and 104 are each equipped withprocessing units 103 a and 104 a, and connected bed portions 103 b and104 b housed in the frame 106, which are disposed vertically. In theetching unit 103, pipelines and power lines for supplying gas, recyclingrefrigerant and providing power are disposed between the processingunits 103 a and 103 b and connecting the same, and the processing unit103 a is supported above the bed by plural support beams disposed abovethe frame 106 not shown. A control unit 107 is disposed between theetching unit 103 and the ashing unit 104, and attached to the upper sideof the frame 106 of the bed portions 103 b and 104 b of these processingunits. The control unit 107 is for controlling the supply of gas etc.required in the processing units disposed adjacent thereto. For example,a flow controller disposed inside the control unit controls the supplyof gas and power to the processing chamber disposed within theprocessing unit 103 a of the etching unit 103.

FIG. 4 is a side view describing the positional relationship between thecontrol unit and the processing units according to the embodiment shownin FIG. 1. Control unit 107 is positioned between the processing unit103 for etching and the processing unit 104 for ashing. The control unit107 is equipped with controllers 401 and 402 for controlling the supplyto the units.

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 107 houses pluralflow controllers for controlling the volume and rate of flow of gasesand refrigerants used for processing performed in the etching unit 103and ashing unit 104 and for controlling the temperature of samplesinside the processing chamber. Especially, in the inner side of thecontrol unit 107, the flow controller for the etching unit is disposedin the upper area and the flow controller for the asking unit isdisposed in the lower area. Access doors 403 and 404 for maintenance andreplacement of the devices including these flow controllers housed inthe control unit are provided in the upper and lower areas of thecontrol unit 107.

The control unit houses, for example, storage units for liquid and gassuch as refrigerant and water to be supplied to the processing chamber,valves for controlling the flow thereof, and drive means such as motorsfor driving the valves. Such controllers are prepared to correspond toeach of the plural processing chambers. This is because the presentprocessing unit is arranged to be detachably attached to the transferchamber 112 or the apparatus main body 100, the single apparatus mainbody 100 being equipped with plural processing units for subjecting thewafer (sample) to different processes, and the present apparatus ischaracterized in enabling various processes to be performed in thesingle apparatus, by preparing various processing units andattaching/replacing the units to correspond to necessary processes. Itis desirable to independent controls being performed for each of thevarious processing units in order to carry out most appropriateprocessing conditions and apparatus operation.

According to such vacuum processing apparatus, the control units 107 and107′ of the present embodiment are disposed between two processingunits, so as to facilitate connection to the units. Thus, the workrelated to attaching and detaching the processing units and controlunits is facilitated, and the work time is reduced.

Moreover, the equipments in the control units 107 and 107′ correspondingto the various processing units are disposed vertically in the units,thereby reducing necessary installation space. Since the presentembodiment utilizes the space between the processing units effectively,the distance between the processing units is minimized, and thefootprint of the whole apparatus is reduced. Further, it becomes easy tocut down the difference in the distances of fluid flow paths connectedto the processing chambers. Therefore, the difference in flow paths tothe processing chamber before and after replacing the processing unit orthe processing chamber is suppressed. Thus, the present embodiment cansuppress the occurrence of difference in performance before and aftermaintenance, replacement or attachment of a different unit, therebyfacilitating the control to be performed by the control unit 107 andimproving the yield of the whole apparatus.

Next, FIGS. 5 through 10 are referred to in describing the details ofthe structure of the processing unit according to the presentembodiment. First, FIGS. 5 and 6 are used to describe the characteristicstructure of the processing unit. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectionalview showing the general structure of the processing chamber portion inthe processing unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a horizontalcross-sectional view showing the structure of the processing chamberportion of the processing unit shown in FIG. 5. It especiallyillustrates the structure of the processing chamber portion of theetching unit 103.

In the present drawing, a processing chamber portion 500 constitutingthe upper part of the processing chamber portion 103 a is connected to atransfer chamber 112, and the communication therewith is opened/closedby an atmospheric gate valve 514 disposed therebetween and driven toopen/close. When the atmospheric gate valve 514 is opened, the innerspace of the transfer chamber 112 and the inner space of the processingchamber portion 500 communicate, and the pressure of the two chambersbecome substantially equal. While the atmospheric gate valve 514 isopened, the wafer (sample) is transferred from the transfer chamber 112onto a sample stage 504 disposed within the processing chamber portion.

According to the present embodiment, after confirming that the sample ismounted on the sample stage 504, the atmospheric gate valve 514 isclosed and the communication between the interior of the processingchamber portion 500 and the interior of the transfer chamber 112 isclosed, and the processing chamber portion is sealed before starting theprocess. When it is necessary to detach the processing chamber portion500 from the transfer chamber 112, or to perform maintenance operationthereof, the atmospheric gate valve 514 is shut and the interior of theprocessing chamber portion 500 is raised to atmospheric pressure, beforeopening outer chambers 511 and 512 defining the vacuum vessel of theprocessing chamber unit 500 and exposing the interior to the atmosphere.

As shown in the drawing, a discharge chamber portion 1001 is disposed onthe upper area of the processing chamber 500, and the discharge chamberportion 1001 is composed of a lid member 542 constituting the lid of thevacuum vessel, an antenna member disposed in the inner side of the lidmember 542, a magnetic field generating unit disposed on the side andupper areas of the antenna member so as to surround the dischargechamber, and a ceiling member disposed below the antenna member. Abovethe magnetic field generating portion is disposed an electronic wavesource 525 for supplying UHF- and VHF-band waves discharged through theantenna member. The antenna member has a flat-plate antenna 526 formedof a conductive member such as SUS disposed within the lid member 542,and at least one dielectric member 528 disposed between the antenna 526and lid member 542 to insulate the two and also having a ring-like shapeto conduct the electric waves radiated from the antenna 526 to theceiling member disposed below.

Further, the ceiling member has a (quartz) plate 503 formed of adielectric member such as quartz for transmitting the conducted electricwaves into the processing chamber below, and a shower plate 534 placedbeneath the quartz plate having plural holes for introducing the processgas being supplied into the processing chamber.

The space below the shower plate 534 and above the sample stage 504 is adischarge chamber 532 in which plasma is generated by the interactionbetween the supplied process gas, the electric waves introduced throughthe quartz plate 503 and the magnetic field supplied by the magneticfield generating portion. There is a very fine gap disposed between thequartz plate 503 and the shower plate 534, into which space the processgas to be supplied into the discharge chamber 532 is first supplied, andthrough the holes disposed in the shower plate 534 to communicate thisgap and the discharge chamber 532, the process gas is introduced intothe discharge chamber 532. This space functions as a buffer chamber 529through which the process gas dispersed via the plural holes is flowninto the discharge chamber. This process gas is supplied via a processgas line 501 and a process gas valve 502 from a controller 402 thatcontrols the supply of fluid such as gas into the processing unit 103.

Thus, the process gas is introduced in dispersed manner through theplurality of holes into the discharge chamber 532, the holes beingpositioned mainly in the area confronting the position on which thesample is mounted on the sample stage 504, so along with the function ofthe buffer chamber 529 for dispersing the gas in a more uniform manner,the plasma density is made more uniform. Further, a lower ring 537 isdisposed below the lid member 542 and on the outer circumference of thequartz plate 503 and the shower plate 534, and a gas passage thatcommunicates with a gas line 501 through which process gas flows isdisposed in the lower ring 537.

Below the shower plate 534, an inner wall member 533 of the dischargechamber that is exposed to plasma within the vacuum vessel to define thespace of the discharge chamber 532 is disposed to contact the lowersurface of the lower ring 537 and the shower plate 534. An outer wallmember 536 of the discharge chamber is disposed outside and surroundingthe inner wall member 533, wherein the outer surface of the inner wallmember 533 and the inner surface of the outer wall member 536 confrontand contact each other. In the present embodiment, the inner wall member533 and the outer wall member 536 are each disposed substantiallycylindrically, and the surface temperature of the inner wall member 533is controlled by adjusting the temperature of the outer wall member 536that contacts the inner wall member.

A discharge chamber base plate 535 is disposed on the outercircumference side of the outer wall member 536, which contacts thelower face of the member 536. The bottom surface of the dischargechamber base plate 535 contacts the vacuum chamber portion disposedbelow. The inner wall member 533 functions also as a ground electrodewith respect to the sample stage 504 functioning as an electrode and theplasma within the discharge chamber 532, and it has a required area forstabilizing the plasma potential. In order to function as the groundelectrode, it is necessary to ensure sufficient heat conductivity andelectric conductivity with the outer wall member 536 or the lid member537 that it is in contact with.

The inner wall member 533, the outer wall member 536 and the lid member537 are all formed of members having conductivity, and are exposed tothe atmospheric side outside the processing chamber portion 500 so thatthe connection for ground wiring is facilitated.

According to the present embodiment, the surface temperature of the wallconstituting the vacuum chamber is controlled to adjust the interactionof the surface with the plasma and the particles, the gas and reactionproducts contained therein. Thus, by appropriately controlling theinteraction between the plasma and the vacuum chamber wall surfaceexposed to plasma, the density of the plasma and the characteristics ofthe plasma such as the composition thereof can be controlled to thedesired status.

According to the present embodiment, medium passage 541 is disposed inthe inner side of the discharge chamber base plate 535 through which aheat exchange medium flows, and by recycling the flow of the heatexchange medium such as water in the medium passage 541, the temperatureof the discharge chamber base plate 535 is adjusted, and the temperatureof the inner chamber 509 is adjusted via the member disposed between andconnecting the base plate 535 and the inner chamber 509. In other words,the discharge chamber base plate 535 and the side wall of the innerchamber 509 are thermally connected, and heat exchange is carried out.If heat exchange through transmission of heat is possible, a separatemember can be disposed between the base plate and the inner chamber.

For the sample being the object of processing to be mounted on thesample stage 504 of the inner chamber 509 and 510, a gate must beprovided to the inner chamber 509 or 510 through which the wafer istransferred into the chamber. Further, a valve is required for closingand opening the communication between the inner and outer spaces of thechamber when the gate is sealed.

The present embodiment is equipped with an atmospheric gate valve 514for opening and closing a gate disposed between the inner side of theprocessing chamber portion 500 and the inner side of the transferchamber 112 to open/close the communication therebetween, and a processgate valve 513 for opening and closing the communication between theinner side and the outer side of the inner chamber 509. The atmosphericgate valve 514 is located above the inner side wall of the transferchamber 112 and disposed so as to be able to move both vertically andhorizontally via a drive means 522, and the valve closes the gate abovethe inner side wall to seal the same, or opens the gate. Further, a gateis disposed on the outer chamber 509 constituting the vacuum vessel at aposition corresponding to the gate on the side of the carriage chamber112 when the carriage chamber 112 and the processing chamber portion 500are connected.

This position must be determined so that a sample carrier device 506which is a robot arm for transferring the wafer within the transferchamber 112 does not interfere with the gate. Further, a process gate isdisposed at a position facing the gate of the outer chamber or the gateof the transfer chamber 112 in the state in which the inner chamber 509is disposed within the outer chamber 511, and the wafer is transferredthrough this gate.

Further, a process gate valve 513 for opening or closing and sealingthis process gate is disposed in the space between the outer chamber 511and the inner chamber 509, and the process gate valve 514 is designed tomove both vertically and horizontally via a drive means 521 disposedbelow. When closed, the valve 513 is positioned on the side wall of theinner chamber 509 to seal the gate, and it can also be opened. Theprocess gate is positioned and designed so that it does not interferewith the movement of the robot arm transferring the wafer in thetransfer chamber.

The gate valves are opened during wafer carriage so as to prevent anyproblems from occurring. When processing the wafer, the innermost gatevalve, which in the present embodiment is the gate valve for closing thegate disposed in the inner chamber 509, the process gate valve 513, andthe atmospheric gate valve 514 are closed and sealed, shutting thecommunication between the inside and the outside. When detaching theprocessing chamber, or when opening the vacuum vessel during maintenanceetc., the atmospheric gate valve 514 is left closed, while the processgate valve 513 is opened to communicate the inside and the outside ofthe inner chamber 509 within the outer chamber 511. At this time, theprocess gas valve 512 is operated to shut the process gas line 501, soas not to have process gas supplied to the processing chamber portion500.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the processgate valve 513 is opened and the inner and outer sides of the innerchamber 509 of the outer chamber 511 is communicated to set thepressures thereof to substantially equal pressure, or to enableadjustment of the pressures. Thus, the inner chamber 509 or 510 issubjected to smaller load caused by pressure difference between theinner side and the outer side, and therefore, it becomes possible toreduce the thickness and size of the members.

When carrying out maintenance operation of the inner side of the outerchamber 511 which is the vacuum vessel of the processing chamber portion500, the atmospheric gate valve 514 is closed to seal the interior ofthe outer chamber 511, and after confirming the same, the process gatevalve 513 is opened. With the process gate opened and the spaces insideand outside the inner chamber 513 communicated, the atmospheric releasevalve 515 is opened to communicate the outside and the inside of theprocessing chamber portion 500, thereby raising the pressure in theouter chamber 511 and 512 within the processing chamber portion 500 tosubstantially reach atmospheric pressure, or in other words, carryingout atmospheric release.

After performing atmospheric release, the inside of the processingchamber portion 500 is opened. First, the lid 503 disposed above theouter chamber 511 of the processing chamber portion 500 and sealing theinside of the chamber is pulled up and opened. At this time, it ispossible to use a crane or the like to pull the lid up, but it is alsopossible to provide a hinge in advance, and to flip the lid up aroundthe hinge to open the lid 180 degrees or more. Next, the maintenancework of the inner chamber 509 is carried out. In order to facilitatethis maintenance work such as cleaning, repairing and replacing, theinner chamber 509 can be taken out of the outer chamber 511 and detachedfrom the processing chamber portion 500.

As described, since it is possible to control or maintain the inside andthe outside of the inner chamber 509 to substantially equal pressure,the thickness of the chamber member can be reduced. Therefore, theweight of the inner chamber 509 is reduced and the handling such asremoving thereof becomes facilitated, by which the work time is reducedand the operation efficiency of the apparatus improved.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the whole structure ofthe gate valve shown in FIG. 5. In the present drawing, the gate valve513 is largely divided into a valve body 701 and a drive means 521disposed below the valve body, which are connected by a pair ofconnecting means disposed on both ends of the valve body 701.

The drive means 521 is mainly composed of an actuator 702 that isconnected to the valve body 701 for moving the same in both the verticaland horizontal directions, a plate connected to the actuator, and anupper guide 703 constituting the upper end portion of the drive means521. Further, the valve body 701 is connected to the drive means 521 viaa pair of support pillars 704 disposed on both ends of the drive means,and supported by the drive means 521.

In the present embodiment, a plural number of said plates are disposedon both ends of the valve body 701 on the actuator 702, and these platesconnect the actuator 702 and the support pillars 704, and as a result,connect the valve body 701. In FIG. 7, there are two plates disposed onthe two sides respectively, and on one side, there is an actuator-sideplate 705 disposed close to the actuator 701 and the support pillar-sideplate 706 disposed close to the pillar.

The lower end of the actuator-side plate 705 and a piston 707 of theactuator 702 are connected via an actuator-side base member 708, and theactuator-side plate 705 is moved up and down along with the movement ofthe actuator 702. Further, on the bottom portion of the supportpillar-side plate 706 is attached a pillar support portion 709 that isconnected to the lower end of the support pillar 704, by which thesupport pillar-side plate 706 and the support plate 704 are connected,so that the support pillar 704 and the valve body are movedsubstantially in the same direction along with the movement of thesupport pillar-side plate 706 in the predetermined direction. Betweenthese plates and the actuator 702 is disposed a linear guide 710, whichis a guide member composed of a guide rail and a slide that is engagedwith and slides along the guide rail. Further, a damper 712 connectingthe lower portion of the actuator-side plate 705 and the upper portionof the support pillar-side plate 706 is disposed on the supportpillar-side of each plate.

As described, the pair of support pillars 704 disposed on both ends ofthe valve body 701 is connected to the drive means 521 by connecting thevalve body 701 and the support pillar-side plate 706. By the supportpillars 704 disposed on both rear ends of the valve body 701, thevibration generated by the movement of the valve body 701 is suppressed,and especially, the vibration revolving around the center portion of thevalve body 701 as axis is reduced.

According to the present embodiment, the space around each pillar,starting at the opening disposed on the upper guide 703 of a throughhole having the support pillar 704 disposed therein and ending at apillar support portion 709, is sealed airtightly by a bellows 711, andthereby, the space in which the valve body 701 is disposed and the spaceinside the drive means 521 defined by the upper guide 703 and thebellows 711 are separated to the vacuum side and atmospheric side.

According to this arrangement, the valve body 701 is moved upward from alow position and then moves substantially horizontally with respect tothe opening of the process gate 513, to cover the opening and toairtightly seal the inside of the opening from the outside. Oppositely,the valve body 701 closing the opening is moved substantiallyhorizontally to release the opening and then moves downward.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing in enlarged state the arrangementof the relevant portion on one end of the drive means shown in FIG. 7.In the drawing, the connection between the two plates disposed on oneside of the actuator 702, the guide member such as the linear guidedisposed therebetween, and the support pillar 704, is illustrated.

The actuator 702 and the piston 707 constituting a part of the actuatoris connected with the actuator-side base member 708, and through thisactuator-side base member 708 the actuator-side plate 705 is connectedwith the actuator 702. Further, a linear guide 710 a is disposed on theside wall of the actuator 702, which connects with the actuator-sideplate 705. This linear guide 710 a is disposed so that a guide rail isdisposed on the side wall of the actuator 702 along the direction ofmovement of the actuator 702, and a slide movable along the guide railis connected to the actuator-side plate 705, so the plate 705 is movedvertically along the linear guide 710 a accompanying the movement of theactuator 702.

Further, the surface of the actuator-side plate 705 facing the supportpillar-side plate 706 is provided with a plurality of linear guides 710b that are arranged substantially in parallel. The slider portion of thelinear guides 710 b is connected to the support pillar-side plate 706.The direction in which the slider moves via the linear guide 710 b, thatis, the direction in which the support pillar-side plate 706 moves withrespect to the actuator-side plate 705, is arranged in a crosseddirection when seen from the support pillar 704 (the end of the valvebody 701) toward the center side area of the drive means 521. Along withthe movement of the actuator 702, the actuator-side plate 705 and thesupport pillar-side plate 706 are guided by the linear guide 710 aconnected thereto and moves in two directions determined by the linearguide 710 a.

The lower portion of the support pillar-side plate 706 is connected viathe pillar support member 709 to the support pillar 704, and theactuator-side base member 708 on the lower end of the actuator 702 isarranged to support via the member disposed therebetween the supportpillar 704 and the valve body 701 connected thereto. Further, a damper712 disposed between and connecting the lower area of actuator-sideplate 705 and the upper area of the support pillar-side plate functionsboth to damp the relative movement of the two plates and to bias theconnection of the two plates by a member having elasticity disposedtherein. In other words, there is a load forcing the support pillar-sideplate 706 diagonally upward along the axial direction of the damper 712seen from the actuator-side plate 705. Therefore, according to thepresent embodiment, with the actuator 702 positioned downward, thedamper 712 or the linear guide 710 b is positioned at its maximummovable end within the range that the upper end of the supportpillar-side plate 706 does not contact the upper guide 703. For example,the damper 712 is at its maximum extended state.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the movement of the driveapparatus shown in FIG. 8. Especially, the movement of the actuator-sideplate 705, the support pillar-side plate 706 and the damper 712 seenfrom the side of the drive apparatus (the direction viewed from onesupport pillar toward the center actuator) are illustrated. In thedrawing, FIG. 9( a) is a view showing the arrangement of components onone end of the actuator 702 seen from the front side of the drive means521. FIGS. 9( b) through 9(d) are schematic diagrams showing thearrangement of the same side seen from the side direction of the drivemeans 521, and illustrates the state in which the actuator-side plate705 and the support pillar-side plate 706 are moved upward and upperrightward, respectively, in the drawing according to the movement of theactuator 702 from the lower end to the upper end.

FIG. 9( b) shows the state in which the actuator 702 is at its lower endposition, and in this state, the actuator-side plate 705 connected viathe actuator-side base member 708 is also at its lower end position. Inthis state, as described, the support pillar-side plate 706 is pushed upand positioned at the oblique upper left of the actuator-side plate 705by the flexible bias force provided by the damper 712, its positiondetermined to correspond to the end of movable range of the damper 712or the linear guide 710 b. Further in this state, the upper end of thesupport pillar-side plate 706 is not in contact with the bottom surfaceof the upper guide 703, and a space is maintained therebetween.

FIG. 9( c) shows the state in which the actuator 702 is moved upward foran arbitrary distance, along with which the actuator-side plate 705 ismoved upward. The present drawing shows the state in which the actuator702 is driven to a position in which the upper end of the supportpillar-side plate 706 is in contact with the bottom surface of the upperguide 703. By driving the actuator 702 from the lower end up to thisposition, the support pillar-side plate 706 is moved to substantiallythe same direction as the actuator-side plate 705, that is, to the upperdirection. Further, the valve body 701 supported at the upper end of thesupport pillar 704 is moved from below the process gate valve 514 to theposition corresponding to the height of the opening. The valve body 701positioned to be in contact with the upper guide 703 faces the openingof the inner chamber 509 in the horizontal direction. In FIG. 9( d),further operation of the actuator 702 moves the actuator-side plate 705further upward.

On the other hand, the upper end of the support pillar-side plate 706contacts the upper guide 703 disposed on the same direction as thedirection of movement of the actuator-side plate 705, and furthermovement toward that direction is restricted. In this state, theactuator-side plate 705 and the support pillar-side plate 706 interactby the linear guide 710 b disposed between the two plates and having adirection of movement positioned slantwise with respect to the directionof movement of the actuator 702, and the support pillar-side plate 706is moved to a direction relatively crossing the actuator-side plate 705.

In other words, when viewed from the actuator-side plate 705, thesupport pillar-side plate 706 moves along the direction of the guiderail of the linear guide 710 b. The directions of movement of the twoplates form an obtuse angle when viewed from the drive means 521. Thatis, along with the upward movement of the actuator-side plate 705, thesupport pillar-side plate 706 is moved relatively downward (to thedirection opposite to the moving direction of the actuator-side plate705), and moves substantially horizontally along the bottom surface ofthe upper guide 703. If this movement is viewed from outside the driveapparatus 521 or the vacuum processing apparatus body, the valve body701 is moved substantially horizontally along the bottom surface of theupper guide 703, and when (or before) the actuator 702 reaches the upperend of its movement range, the valve body contacts the outer wallsurface of the inner chamber 509 and closes the opening of the processgate valve disposed thereto.

Moreover, it is possible to coat a resin material such as Teflon(registered trademark) on the contact surface on either the upper end ofthe support pillar-side plate 706 or the bottom surface of the upperguide 703 in order to reduce the friction drag during slide movement.Further, when the support pillar-side plate 706 is moved in thehorizontal direction, the repulsive force of the damper 712 connectingthe actuator-side plate 705 and the support pillar-side plate 706presses the support pillar-side plate 706 upward toward the bottomsurface of the upper guide 703 with respect to the actuator-side plate705. Thanks to the biasing and shock absorbing functions of therepulsive force of the damper 712, the vibration of the two plates isreduced or damped, and as a result, the vibration of the valve body 701is reduced or damped.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the outline of the whole structureof the valve body illustrated in FIG. 7. In the drawing, the valve body701 is largely divided into three parts, a base body 1001 being the mainbody of the valve body, a seal member 1002 having elasticity attached tothe side of the base body 1001 facing the opening, and a cover 1003attached to the base body 1001 for positioning the seal member.

The seal member 1002 is sandwiched between and connected to the basebody 1001 and the inner chamber 509 when the valve body 701 contacts andthereby closes the opening disposed in the inner chamber 509, andfunctions to airtightly seal the inside of the opening from the outside,that is, the inside of the inner chamber 509 from the outside. In thepresent embodiment, the seal member 1002 is formed of a resin havingresistance to corrosive gas. The cover 1003 is for pressing andpositioning the seal member 1002 against the base body 1001, andaccording to the present embodiment, the position of the seal member1002 is fixed by sandwiching the same between the base body 1001. Thecover 1003 and the base body of the valve body 701 are securely fixedvia plural connecting bolts 1004 that are inserted from the back of thebase body 1001, that is, the side opposite to the side facing theopening.

The seal member 1002 is disposed on the surface of the base body 1001that faces the opening, and when the valve body 701 is in contact withthe inner chamber 509 and closes the gate valve 513, this surface isopposed to the outer wall surface of the inner chamber 509 via the sealmember 1002, by which the seal member 1002 attached to this surfaceconstitutes a seal surface 1005 that seals the inside of the openingfrom the outside.

The seal surface 1005 disposed on the side facing the opening or theside of the valve body facing the outer wall surface of the innerchamber 509 has a smooth curved surface corresponding to the outer wallsurface of the inner chamber 509, and there are no grooves or dents likein the examples of the prior art for fitting and positioning the sealmember.

This smooth curved surface corresponds to the outer wall contour of theinner chamber 509, and if the contour of the wall on which the valvemeans contacts is flat, it can have a flat surface, and if the gatevalve opening corresponds to the opening between the transfer chamberand the processing chamber or to the opening of the load lock chamber,it can be designed to correspond to the contour of the wall surface ofthe component on which the opening is disposed.

So that grooves or dents for positioning the seal member 1002 are notrequired on the seal surface 1005 as described, the fixing of the sealmember 1002 is performed using the structure disposed in the sealsurface side of the cover 1003 that is attached to the surface of theseal member 1005 and engaged to the valve body 701.

FIG. 11 shows a front view and a side view of the schematic structure ofthe seal member illustrated in FIG. 10. In FIG. 11( a), the seal member1002 is arranged so that it is substantially rectangular when viewedfrom the opening (front) side, with the center side opened. According tothe present embodiment, a cover 1003 is attached to the center sidethereof, that is engaged with the seal member 1002 positioned on thecircumference thereof.

FIG. 11( b) is a cross-sectional view showing the seal member 1002 cutat a surface perpendicular to the seal surface 1005. As illustrated, theseal member 1002 has plural projections (two in the present embodiment)on one side and a flat surface on the other side. According to thepresent embodiment, an outer projection 1101 positioned on the outercircumference side of the seal member 1002 and illustrated on the leftside of the drawing has a height from the flat surface that is higherthan the height from the flat surface of an inner projection 1102positioned in the inner circumference side. Between the two projections1101 and 1102 is disposed a constriction 1103 which extends to theprojection 1102 or 1101 and is thinner than the projections.

The flat surface disposed in the other side constitutes a valve bodycontact surface 1106 that comes in planar contact with the seal surface1005 when the valve body 701 closes the opening.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of thevalve body 701 illustrating the state in which it is in contact with theinner chamber 509 and sealing the opening 1201. As shown, the sealmember 1002 on the seal surface 1005 of the valve body 701 is disposedalong the outer circumference of the cover 1003 and the seal surface,and the curved surface on the upper side of the outer circumference-sideprojection 1106 contacts the outer wall surface of the inner chamber 509surrounding the opening 1201.

Further, the connecting bolt 1004 is inserted and connected to the basebody 1001 of the valve body 701 from the side opposite from where theopening 1201 is positioned. The connecting bolt 1004 and the screw holein which the bolt is inserted is designed to have a length reachinghalfway of thickness of the cover 1003 so as to improve the sealingability and also considering the influence of the corrosive gas.

As described, the cover 1003 is disposed within the center opening areaof the seal member 1002 to be connected to the valve body base 1001 andto determine the position of the seal member 1002. The side of the cover1003 facing the seal surface 1005 is provided with a surface disposed inthe center thereof to be connected to the seal surface 1005, and theouter circumference area thereof is provided with an arrangement thatengages with the seal member 1002, including an outer circumference dent1202 and an outer circumference end projection 1203 that is disposedfurther on the outer circumference end of the cover 1003. When attachedto the base body 1001, the cover 1003 is arranged so that thecircumference end projection 1203 presses the constriction 1103 of theseal 1002 toward the seal surface side and positions the same on theseal surface 1005. Further, with the cover 1003 attached, thecircumference dent 1202 contacts the inner projection 1102 of the sealmember 1002, pressing the same toward the seal surface 1005 and holdingthe seal member 1002 between the seal surface 1005. In this state, thecurved surface of the projection on the inner projection 1102 contactsthe surface of the circumference dent 1202 and seals the space betweenthe outer circumference side and the inner circumference side of thecover 1003 in this contact area.

In the present embodiment, the side of the seal member 1002 in contactwith the seal surface 1005 is not provided with projections or dents,but the inner projection can be disposed on the side in contact with theseal surface 1005, and in doing so, it is possible to dispose a dent onthe seal surface 1005 and to enable the curved surface on the innerprojection and the surface within the dent to contact and dispose a sealwithin this dent. By connecting the cover with the valve body base via aconnecting bolt at the center of the cover, and by providing a sealedregion within the inner circumference side of the cover 1003, it ispossible to prevent corrosive gas sealed by the outer circumferenceprojection 1101 from flowing toward the center area of the cover 1003.By positioning the connecting bolt 1004 on the center area of the sealedcover, the corrosion of or other undesirable influence on the connectingbolt 1004 can be prevented.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 12, while the valve body 701 is sealingthe opening 1201, the cover 1003 projected from the seal surface 1005 ispositioned to enter the inner side of the opening 1201, and the surfaceof the cover 1003 constitutes a substantially equal smooth surface withthe inner wall surface of the inner chamber 509. Thus, the influencethat the inner contour of the processing chamber being circumferentiallyuneven has on the process performed in the inner chamber in which plasmaprocessing using gas is performed is reduced, and the process can becarried out more uniformly. Further, tolerance requires a gap to bedisposed between the cover 1003 and the opening 1201, but on thevalve-body-side of the gap, the boundary between the seal member 1002and the side wall of the cover 1003 is located. This boundary portionconstitutes the boundary between the side wall of the cover 1003 and theouter circumference projection 1101 of the seal member 1002, therebypreventing the corrosive gas in the gap from entering and influencingthe weak portions of the seal member 1102.

According to the above-described embodiment, the drive means for movingthe valve body to open or close the opening is designed to connect twomembers disposed in correspondence to two directions, and by moving themembers in interlocked manner, moves the valve body substantially in thehorizontal direction, that is, moves the valve body confronting theopening closer to the opening so as to seal the same or to separatetherefrom, according to which arrangement the distance of movementtoward or away from the opening is increased. If a movement along asingle guide is adopted as in the prior art, it is necessary to guidethe member along a curved path with the attempt to continuously carryout a number of actions in the crossing directions, which was difficultto realize using a drive means oriented to a single direction, and itwas also difficult to increase the distance of movement of the valvebody in plural directions.

According to the arrangement of the present embodiment, two members areprovided that move along two substantially linear directions, with guidemembers that are moved in the respective directions. Each guide meanscorresponding to a single direction is easy to manufacture, and byapplying the same level of manufacturing technology, it is possible toimprove the accuracy thereof. Moreover, by applying a ball bearing or afluid to pressurize the engagement of the guide composed of a guide railand a slide, the accuracy thereof can be further improved. Thus, thevibration of components generated by the movement of the guide can bereduced or suppressed.

Even further, the interlocked connection of members corresponding to theabove-mentioned two substantially linear directions enables the openingand closing action of the valve body. Therefore, when pressing the valvebody into the opening for seal and when pulling out the same from thesealed state, a force greater than that applied according to the priorart arrangement can be applied. Therefore, the output of the actuatorcan be reduced and the apparatus can be downsized.

Moreover, by connecting the members corresponding to each of the pluraldirections, the arrangement of the damper for suppressing the vibrationof the valve body or the vibration between the actuator-side plate andthe support pillar-side plate becomes facilitated. This damper not onlydamps vibration, but also provides biasing force so as to constantlyapply a load between the actuator-side plate and the support pillar-sideplate, so as to prevent vertical vibration caused by the friction dragbetween the support pillar-side plate and the upper guide.

The valve body is connected to and supported by the support pillars atits both ends. The vibration of the valve body is suppressed by theplural pillars, and the rotating movement of the valve body around thecenter axis is converted to the displacement of the support pillars.Since the displacement movement is substantially linear instead of arotation, it can be more easily suppressed or damped by the function ofthe guide, the movement of the plates and the work of the damper,according to which the vibration can be easily suppressed or attenuated.The direction of arrangement of the damper is set to substantially thesame direction as the relative movement of the support pillar-sidemember by the guide. Thus, the damping and attenuation functions arefurther improved.

Moreover, in the sealing area, the flat surface on the valve body-sideof the seal is in planar contact with the seal surface of the valvebody. Further, the cover presses the seal member and positions the sameon the seal surface. Thereby, it becomes unnecessary to dispose groovesor dents which are difficult to process, so the work efficiency isimproved and the manufacture costs are reduced. It is especiallydifficult to dispose grooves or dents when the seal surface has a curvedshape, and much work is required to fit the seal member to position, andthe seal performance may be deteriorated by the distortion of the sealmember. The present invention provides a cover that performspositioning, by which the assembly work is facilitated, and as a result,the work efficiency of the apparatus is improved. In other words, by theconnection between the seal member and the seal surface which have flat,smooth or curved surfaces, the movement of the seal member isrestricted, and the deterioration or failure of the seal performance bythe distortion of the seal member can be suppressed.

Moreover, the present invention provides projections disposed on bothsides of a constriction of the seal member, and the constriction ispressed and positioned using a cover. Since the constriction is pressedand pinched, the deformation of the outer projection on the seal surfacebecomes facilitated, and especially, the deformation to the directionalong the seal surface becomes facilitated. According to sucharrangement, it is possible to prevent the contact position of theprojection from being displaced when the seal contacts the outer wall ofthe chamber having a curved surface and scratching the outer wall,according to which the generation of contaminants is suppressed.Further, even if one-side hitting of the valve means is caused, thedistortion (twisting) of the seal member is suppressed, and thedeterioration or failure of the seal performance is prevented.

1. A valve body disposed outside a chamber, which seals airtightly oropens an opening disposed on a wall of the chamber, comprising: a sealmember disposed on a side of the valve body that comes into contact withthe wall surrounding the opening, for sealing the inside of the openingby contact when the valve body seals the opening; a first projectionhaving a projected curved surface that comes into contact with the wall,and an overhang extending from the projection which is engaged with andattached to the inner side of the valve body, which constitute the sealmember; and a cover disposed on the valve body that comes into contactwith the wall for pressing at least a portion of the overhang onto thevalve body and determining the position thereof.
 2. The valve bodyaccording to claim 1, wherein the seal member comprises a secondprojection disposed to a portion of the overhang that is pressed againstthe cover, for coming into contact with the cover and the valve body andsealing the same.
 3. The valve body according to claim 1, furthercomprising either a substantially flat surface or a smooth curvedsurface at a surface on which the first projection is disposed, thefirst projection having either a flat surface or a smooth curved surfaceat a side facing the valve body and coming into contact with the surfaceof the valve body.
 4. The valve body according to claim 1, wherein theseal member comprises a second projection disposed to a portion of theoverhang that is pressed against the cover, for coming into contact withthe cover and the valve body and sealing the same, and the valve bodyhas either a substantially flat surface or a smooth curved surface at asurface on which the first projection is disposed, the first projectionhaving either a flat surface or a smooth curved surface at a side facingthe valve body and coming into contact with the surface of the valvebody.
 5. The valve body according to claim 1, wherein the seal membercomprises a second projection disposed to a portion of the overhang thatis pressed against the cover, for coming into contact with the cover andthe valve body and sealing the same, and the cover is disposed beingprojected from the surface on which the seal member is disposed, andenters the opening when the opening is sealed by the valve body.
 6. Thevalve body according to claim 1, wherein the cover is disposed on thefirst projection on the valve body and comes into contact with the wallwhen it enters the opening, and when the opening is sealed by the valvebody, a surface of the cover constitutes a substantially equal planewith a wall surface of the chamber.
 7. The valve body according to claim1, wherein the cover is disposed on the first projection on the valvebody and comes into contact with the wall when it enters the opening,and the seal member comprises a second projection disposed to a portionof the overhang that is pressed against the cover, for coming intocontact with the cover and the valve body and sealing the same, and whenthe opening is sealed by the valve body, a surface of the coverconstitutes a substantially equal plane with a wall surface of thechamber.
 8. A valve body disposed outside a chamber, which sealsairtightly or opens an opening disposed on a wall of the chamber,comprising: a seal member, detachably disposed on a surface of the valvebody which faces an outer surface of the wall, which seals between theinside and the outside of the opening, being annularly shaped and havinga central side opening in its central part and having a first sealportion disposed in a periphery of the central side opening and on asubstantially flat or smooth curved surface of the valve body that has aprojection and a flat surface or a smooth curved surface facing thesurface of the valve body on an opposite side of the projection, andcomes into contact with an outer surface of the wall surrounding theopening and the valve body when the valve body seals the opening; acover attached in a detachable manner on the valve body disposed in acentral side of the first seal portion, wherein the cover engages andholds the seal member above the surface of the valve body and determinesthe position thereof; and a second seal portion of the seal memberdisposed in a central side to the first seal portion and an outer sideof the central side opening, wherein the second seal portion contacts asurface of the cover in its peripheral portion and seals between thecentral side of the valve body and the surface of the cover in itsperipheral portion.
 9. The valve body according to claim 8, wherein thecover is attached so as to press the seal member, disposed on and incontact with a substantially flat surface or a smooth curved surface ofthe valve body, toward the valve body.
 10. The valve body according toclaim 8, wherein the cover is disposed at the central side opening ofthe seal member, and the second seal portion of the seal member isdisposed at an inner circumference portion of the seal member.
 11. Thevalve body according to claim 8, wherein the cover presses the sealmember in an outer side of the second seal portion of the seal member.12. The valve body according to claim 8, wherein the seal member furthercomprises a dent disposed at an outer side of the second seal portion,and the cover presses the dent of the seal member.
 13. The valve bodyaccording to claim 12, wherein the cover has a projection disposed at anouter portion thereof, which presses the dent of the seal member. 14.The valve body according to claim 13, wherein the seal member comprisesan inner projection, a surface of which comprises the second sealportion contacting the surface of the cover.
 15. The valve bodyaccording to claim 8, further comprising a connecting member penetratingthe valve body, which joins the cover to the valve body.
 16. The valvebody according to claim 9, wherein the seal member further comprises adent disposed at an outer side of the second seal portion, and the coverpresses the dent of the seal member.
 17. The valve body according toclaim 16, wherein the cover has a projection disposed at an outerportion thereof, which presses the dent of the seal member.
 18. Thevalve body according to claim 17, wherein the seal member comprises aninner projection, a surface of which comprises the second seal portioncontacting the surface of the cover.
 19. The valve body according toclaim 10, wherein the seal member further comprises a dent disposed atan outer side of the second seal portion, and the cover presses the dentof the seal member.
 20. The valve body according to claim 19, whereinthe cover has a projection disposed at an outer portion thereof, whichpresses the dent of the seal member.
 21. The valve body according toclaim 20, wherein the seal member comprises an inner projection, asurface of which comprises the second seal portion contacting thesurface of the cover.
 22. The valve body according to claim 11, whereinthe seal member further comprises a dent disposed at an outer side ofthe second seal portion, and the cover presses the dent of the sealmember.
 23. The valve body according to claim 22, wherein the cover hasa projection disposed at an outer portion thereof, which presses thedent of the seal member.
 24. The valve body according to claim 23,wherein the seal member comprises an inner projection, a surface ofwhich comprises the second seal portion contacting the surface of thecover.
 25. The valve body according to claim 9, further comprising aconnecting member penetrating the valve body, which joins the cover tothe valve body.
 26. The valve body according to claim 10, furthercomprising a connecting member penetrating the valve body, which joinsthe cover to the valve body.
 27. The valve body according to claim 11,further comprising a connecting member penetrating the valve body, whichjoins the cover to the valve body.